Hall of Tradition voting open

D.C. United today announced four nominees for 2013 Hall of Tradition induction, presented by Allstate Insurance – Alecko Eskandarian, Carlos Llamosa, Jaime Moreno and Tony Sanneh. Each an iconic player for the Black-and-Red in their own rights, only one will earn United’s most prestigous honor as a result of a fan vote on www.dcunited.com. Voting is now open and will run through next Wednesday, June 19 at 5 p.m. ET. All participants will be provided a chance to win two tickets with field-side access for the induction match, to be announced in conjunction with voting results next week.

Selected with the first pick of the 2003 MLS SuperDraft, Eskandarian made the most of four seasons with the Black-and-Red. Eskandarian was instrumental in United’s 2004 MLS Cup title, earning MLS Cup MVP honors on the day. He also factored heavily in United’s 2006 Supporters’ Shield campaign. His United career ended following the 2006 season, the result of a trade, with the popular striker appearing in 81 League games, 47 of them starts. At the time, Eskandarian ranked seventh in goals scored (20), tied for sixth in game-winning goals scored (7), tied for fourth in multi goal games (5), sixth in shots (151) and seventh in shots on goal (77) within the club’s all-time stats listings.

A D.C. United star from 1996-2000, defender Llamosa is still remembered for his physical ability to halt opposing attacks, coupled with the skill to return the ball into dangerous positions for his club. While with the Black-and-Red, he was a part of three MLS Cup titles (1996, 1997 and 1999), a U.S. Open Cup championship (1996), two Supporters’ Shields (1997 and 1999) and the 1998 Champions’ Cup and InterAmerican Cup victories. A 1999 MLS All-Star selection, Llamosa finished his United career with 83 appearances (75 starts) in League play.

Widely considered one of the best players to ever play in Major League Soccer, Moreno is, perhaps, the most revered striker to ever appear in a D.C. United uniform. Moreno signed with the Black-and-Red on July 29, 1996 and scored a goal in his first club appearance one week later. The Bolivian international played a part in all 12 major domestic and international trophies currently held by the club: four MLS Cup titles (1996, 1997, 1999 and 2004), four Supporters’ Shields (1997, 1999, 2006 and 2007), two U.S. Open Cup championships (1996 and 2008), and the 1998 Champions’ Cup and InterAmerican Cup victories. Individually, he was honored as a member of the MLS All-Time Best XI, following the League’s 10th season, is a four-time member of the MLS Best XI (1997, 1999, 2004 and 2005), a seven-time MLS All-Star (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2006, and 2010) and the 1997 Golden Boot winner. Moreno played his last official match on October 23, 2010, scoring a goal in his final appearance. He ended his United career ranked first in 15 MLS statistical categories, including games played (329), started (288), minutes played (25,277), goals (131), assists (102), game-winning goals (26), game-winning assists (26), multi-goal games (17) and penalty kick goals (43).

In just three seasons with D.C. United, Sanneh remains one of the most accomplished players to ever represent the club. Known affectionately as the “Big Cat,” Sanneh patrolled the left flank for the Black-and-Red with a quiet tenacity. He was central to two MLS Cup titles (1996 and 1997), a U.S. Open Cup championship (1996), a Supporters’ Shield win (1997) and the 1998 Champions’ Cup and InterAmerican Cup victories. Sanneh finished his career with the Black-and-Red with 14 goals and 25 assists in 71 League appearances (69 starts).

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This year’s nominees were selected by a vote by the Hall of Tradition Nomination Committee from a list of potential nominees. Following the fan voting process, results will be tabulated and, if a 50% minimum vote is achieved, one individual may be selected for inclusion in the Hall of Tradition per season.

Hall of Tradition Protocol

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible as a former player, an individual must have met the following criteria:

Retired as a player for at least two (2) years, but no more than 10 years.

Played at least three seasons for D.C. United and appeared in 50 or more League games.

In order to be eligible in a coach or management capacity, an individual must have made his/her mark in a non-playing capacity and had a major, sustained and positive impact on the club for an extended period of time. Candidates must be at least 50 years of age (posthumous candidates may be considered as an exception) and deemed to have contributed at the requisite level for a minimum of three years as a coach or five in a front office capacity. Due to the broad general nature of the criteria, additional nominations may be considered.

Nomination Committee

The Nomination Committee consists of all club ownership (33.33%), club management (33.33%) and playing alumni (33.33%).

Procedure

United Communications Department will keep a list of all former players that meet election criteria, as well as any additional nominees. The list will be presented to the Nomination Committee above prior to the start of each season. From this list, as many as four (4) candidates will be selected and submitted to a final fan vote (options include on-line balloting and in-store voting through a potential D.C. United sponsor). Following the voting process, results will be tabulated and, if a 50% minimum vote is achieved, one individual may be selected for inclusion in the Hall of Tradition per season.

Determination of inductees considered non-playing personnel will be handled by current club ownership and management.